Luna
The Moon (Latin: Luna) is Earth's only natural satellite. Although not the largest natural satellite in the Solar System, it is, among the satellites of major planets, the largest relative to the size of the object it orbits (its primary). It is the second-densest satellite among those whose densities are known (after Jupiter's satellite Io). The Moon is thought to have formed nearly 4.5 billion years ago, not long after Earth. Although there have been several hypotheses for its origin in the past, the current most widely accepted explanation is that the Moon formed from the debris left over after a giant impact between Earth and a Mars-sized body. The Moon is in synchronous rotation with Earth, always showing the same face with its near side marked by dark volcanic maria that fill between the bright ancient crustal highlands and the prominent impact craters. It is the second-brightest regularly visible celestial object in Earth's sky (after the Sun), as measured by illuminance on the surface of Earth. Although it can appear a very bright white, its surface is actually dark, with a reflectance just slightly higher than that of worn asphalt. Its prominence in the sky and its regular cycle of phases have, since ancient times, made the Moon an important cultural influence on language, calendars, art, and mythology. The Moon's gravitational influence produces the ocean tides and the slight lengthening of the day. The Moon's current orbital distance is about thirty times the diameter of Earth, causing it to have an apparent size in the sky almost the same as that of the Sun. This allows the Moon to cover the Sun nearly precisely in total solar eclipse. This matching of apparent visual size is a coincidence. The Moon's linear distance from Earth is currently increasing at a rate of 3.82 ± 0.07 centimetres (1.504 ± 0.028 in) per year, but this rate is not constant. The Soviet Union's Luna programme was the first to reach the Moon with unmanned spacecraft in 1959; the United States' NASA Apollo program achieved the only manned missions to date, beginning with the first manned lunar orbiting mission by Apollo 8 in 1968, and six manned lunar landings between 1969 and 1972, with the first being Apollo 11. These missions returned over 380 kg of lunar rocks, which have been used to develop a geological understanding of the Moon's origin, the formation of its internal structure, and its subsequent history. After the Apollo 17 mission in 1972, the Moon has been visited by only unmanned spacecraft, until plans of colonization began to surface. After decades of planning, deep core scans of the moon, and geological surveys, the initial mission of colonization was preceded by a small scout rover, which examined both the surface and just below surface levels, to determine the ideal location for the first colony. In the year 2020, the first brave pioneers set out onto the lunar surface, and founded the colony of Armstrong, honoring the man who first step foot on the moon. The colony thrived for a time, and was a massive success to those back on Earth. Before a second group of colonists could be dispatched, however, Armstrong was obliterated. Without proper defense against the ravages of living without an atmosphere, the colony was wiped from the face of the moon, and any survivors were not heard from since. A second attempt to colonize the moon eventually followed, and New Armstrong flourished. Thus, it became a stepping stone to the rest of human history. One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. The City of New Armstrong is vast, as the oldest colony of the Terran people. The city is contained with an atmospheric bio-dome, creating an atmosphere almost exactly the same as Earth, simulating the gravity, and the weather. The dome also acts as a conduit for solar power, which is collected constantly to power the entire city without fail. The city itself is constructed like a giant wheel, round in shape, with the main streets running out from the central plaza like spokes. This divides the city into seven separate districts, each one representing one of the continents of the Earth. This lends each of the districts its own cultural feel, as each district is so named also for the people that live there. The North American district, for example, is heavily influenced by the United States, with small Canadian touches. The Asian district embraces all the different facets of the diverse Asian people, and contains a Russian subdistrict. This lends the city a very Earthlike feel, where all different people come together, united, in one place. Still, bouts of racism and prejudice pervade, as they do on Earth, and as they always have. Despite this, the people of New Armstrong usually live in harmony with one another. The New Armstrong spaceport is one of the most popular spaceports in the system, as many of the cultural luxuries, little things that the large corporations of the Dominion do not interest themselves with, flow out from this spaceport and into the rest of the black. Category:Moons